File follower



March 11, 1930. sc 1,750,544

FILE FOLLOWER Filed June 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwventz #7210Ase-"M172 dttomwq 4 Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFRED A. SCHMITZ, OF CANTON, OHIO, .ASSIGNOR TO THE BERGER MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO FILE FOLLOWER Application filed June 8,

This invention relates to file followers, such as are commonly employedin metal filing cabinet drawers, and the like, to compress and hold inan upright position letters, fold- 6 ers, etc.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a file follower, whichmay be effectively locked or held against longitudinal movement ordisplacement in a drawer, and

10 which, when locked, is of relatively small depth, thereby affordingmaximum filing space in the drawer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a file follower, having anovel locking mechanism, which may be readily released to permitlongitudinal adjustment of the follower to any desired position.

lVith the above and other objects in view which will be more readilyapparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the sameconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the filefollower in locked condition in a filing cabinet drawer;

Figure 2 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, through the filefollower, taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but

showing the file follower, in unlocked or released condition;

Figure 4: is a perspective view of the follower clutch plate and Figure5 is a perspective view of one of the followers shoes.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures,1 represents a filing cab inet drawer, having sides 1 and a bottom 1 Thebottom 1 is depressed'centrally to provide a longitudinally extendingtrough 1, which not only serves to reinforce the drawer bottom, but alsoprovides a recess to receiy e a track channel 2 provided with in- 1929.Serial No. 369,284.

turned flanges 2" which are flush with the drawer bottom.

The file follower includes a follower board 3, the lower portion 3 ofwhich, when in position in the drawer 1, is approximately perpendicularto the bottom 1 of the drawer, and the upper portion 3' of which isrearwardly inclined with respect to the drawer bottom.

The locking mechanism for the follower board includes a pair of shoes 4,a clutch plate 5, a lever 6, and a toggle 7.

As shown-in Figure 5, each shoe 4, includes an upper guide channelformed by flanges 45, 4- and a connecting web 4 and a lower channelformed by flanges 4 4 and a connecting web 4 the lower channel extendingat right-angles to the upper channel; The upper edge of the flange t isprovided with teeth a having a backward rake. The shoes t are secured asby spot-Welding the flanges et thereof to the rear face of the lowerportion 3 of the follower board in such position that the fianages 4:underlie the flanges 2*" of the track channel 2.

As shown in Figure 4, the clutch plate 5 is provided with verticallyextending notches 5 and the transverse slot 5 The notching of the clutchplate forms tongues 5, the lower ends of which are rearwardly inclinedas at 5. v

The lever 6 is provided at its lower end with an offset portion 6, whichin turn is provided at its lower end with a rearwardly extending tongue6 the metal on both sides of this tongue constituting shoulders 6, whichserve a purpose to be presently de scribed.

The toggle 7 consists of a crank 7 and bearing arms 7". The toggle 7 ispivotally secured to the rear face of the upper portion 3 of thefollower board, in any suitable manner, as for example by means of clips8, which are spot-welded to the follower board, and the crank '7 of thetoggle is pivotally secured in any suitable manner to the offset portion6 of the lever 6.

In assembling the various parts, the clutch plate 5 is inserted betweenthe flanges 4t and 4 of the shoes 4, the connecting webs 4 of the shoesentering the notches 5 in the clutch plate, and the tongue 6 of thelever 6 is caused to enter the slot 5* in the clutch plate.

The operation of the device is briefly as follows:

hen the follower is in unlocked condition, as shown in Figure 3, theconnecting webs l of the shoes t rest upon the bottom of the trackchannel 2, and in this position the teeth 9% of the flange are out ofcontact with the track channel 2. Moreover, the lever 6, being pivotedrearwardly on the toggle T, the clutch plate 5 is supported on thetongue 6" of the lever 6, and in this position, the rear wardly inclinedportions 5 of the clutch plate 5 are held out of contact with theflanges 2 of the track channel 2. In this condition, the follower boardmay be slid rearwardly or forwardly to any desired position.

lVhen it is desired to lock the follower in position, it is onlynecessary to pull the lever 6 forward to the position shown in Figure 2.This movement causes a pivoting of the toggle which brings the shoulders6 of the lever into abutment with the upper edge of the clutch plate 5,thereby forcing the clutch plate downward and bringing the rearwardlyinclined portion 5 of the clutch plate into contact with the uppersurfaces of the flanges 2 of the track channel 2. At the same time, theteeth 4 of the shoes are brought into contact with the lower surfaces ofthe flanges 2 of the track channel 2, and the flanges 2 of the trackchannel are thus securely gripped between the clutch plate and theshoes.

It will be noted that during the locking movement, the pivotalconnection of the lever 6 and toggle 7 moves past a plane which passesthrough the axes of the bearing arms 7 b and the clutch plate 5 In orderto permit this movement past said plane, thefollower board 3 isnecessarily flexed, and after such movement the follower board tends toresume its initial unflexed condition. This tendency to resume theunflexed condition serves to positively maintain all of the parts inlocked condition.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present constructionprovides a follower board which will fulfill the objects set forthherein.

Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form,proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appendedclaims.

Claims:

1. In combination with adrawer having a track therein provided withinturned flanges, a file follower adapted to be moved longitudinallyalong said track and comprising a resilient sheet-metal follower boardcapable of being flexed, shoes secured to said follower board and havingportions which underlie said inturned flanges, a clutch plate havingportions overlying said inturned flanges, and toggle means for movingthe clutch plate toward or away from the portions of the shoes whichunderlie said inturned flanges to thereby lock the follower boardagainst longitudinal displacement or release the same, operation of thetoggle means being permitted by the flexing of said follower board.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the toggle means includesa lever and a toggle, the lever being pivotally connected to the toggle.

3. A structure as defined in claim 1, in which the portions of the shoeswhich underlie the inturnedflanges of the track are provided with teeth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRED A. SCHMITZ.

